Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie – Recipe

Anyone who knows Andrew will know that he’s crazy about pecan pie. I’ve experimented with a few pecan pie recipes over the years and this one is the best one yet. It’s also the easiest recipe I’ve tried. Plus it works well with a store-bought pie crust. Yes, gone are my days of making my own crust since I don’t even like pie crust to begin with!

I found a recipe for caramel pecan pie from from allrecipes.com. Based on the reader reviews, I modified it a bit before making it for the first time. After that first time, I made some more changes and experimented with adding some chocolate thinking that in theory, chocolate caramel pecan pie should be delicious. I grabbed the first kind of chocolate I saw in our cupboard (Lindt Sea Salt Dark Chocolate) and melted half of the bar with the caramels. The experiment was successful! Andrew also agrees that this is his favorite version of homemade pecan pie.

Ooey Gooey Caramelly Goodness!

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Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie
Adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
40 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
50 g chocolate (I used 5 squares of Lindt sea salt dark chocolate but I reckon semi-sweet chocolate chips or baking squares will also work)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups pecan halves


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, chocolate, butter and milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool until filling is firm.

Option: When the pie is out of the oven, microwave 3-4 caramels with a splash of milk and a tiny dollop of butter. Drizzle on top of the pie for a decorative effect.
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